The official blog for www.gotovictoriafalls.co.za, a destination marketing association owned by the people of Victoria Falls. We are committed to making the Victoria Falls a tourism hub for the region.

Thursday, 24 May 2012

UNWTO 2013 CONFERENCE AND RESULTING DEVELOPMENT IN VIC FALLS - SET TO BENEFIT ALL

It
is becoming very evident that Victoria Falls is the town that both leisure and
business travellers are talking about and it is certainly one of the top
destinations in Southern Africa at the moment. Victoria Falls experienced the
highest number of visitors in several years in 2011 and it looks like 2012 is
shaping up to be an even better year for the tourist town. After a decade of low
arrivals, Zimbabwe is seeing a huge growth in tourists to the country and the
famous Victoria Falls is most certainly seeing this obvious increase in
interest.

But
why is this town in land locked Zimbabwe such a popular destination? Other than
the obvious spectacular Victoria Falls (one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the
World) it is also the adventure capital of Africa, continually offering new and
exciting activities. Furthermore, it is situated in the centre of a number of
world class national parks in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia, meaning
it is increasingly obvious that the tourist town is the ideal destination for
travellers to pass through for a few days, before moving on to explore the
surrounding areas.

However,
the increase in arrivals that industry players are now preparing for can be
attributed to a number of other positive factors.

The
Victoria Falls Airport is being modernised and enlarged and a number of
international airlines are discussing possible flights into Zimbabwe and the
town itself. This is in addition to the recent commencement of Emirates flights
into Harare from Dubai, via Lusaka. South African Airways has also dramatically
increased its capacity to Zimbabwe by 66%, while Air Namibia has launched a
four-times a week schedule from Windhoek to Harare.

The new Victoria Falls Safari Club

Meanwhile
the town has become the destination of choice for conferences with the African
Travel Association (ATA) hosting their 37th world congress from 18 –
22 May this year, which saw 500 delegates descend upon the town. This is just
the preview to what is expected in 2013, when the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly is hosted in both Victoria Falls and
Livingstone, with an estimated 3000 delegates from 158 countries expected to
attend.

The
General Assembly can only mean positive things for the town and Go to Victoria
Falls members are extremely excited about how it will impact arrivals into the
town.

Roddy
Meiring, General Manager of Ilala Lodge says “It’s a unique opportunity which
will further develop the town, once again proving that Zimbabwe is back on the
map and a safe place to visit”.

Trish
Mambinge, General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Shearwater Victoria Falls,
added that “UNWTO means we shall see more arrivals next year, meaning we will
take on more pax on our activities, gaining increased experience and revenue”.

Meanwhile the new luxury Victoria Falls Safari Club 20-room wing at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge looks set to be THE showcase accommodation at next year's assembly. This exclusive facility, including four majestic suites, will open in August this year, a year ahead of the global summit, and construction is well underway.

Furthermore,
the government is planning to build a new conference centre as preparation,
which will not only go a long way in accommodating the few thousand delegates
in 2013, but will also cement Victoria Falls’ reputation as a world class
conferencing destination.

So
with a number of exciting new developments for the town, as well as a more positive
attitude towards Zimbabwe as a whole, it’s no wonder the Go to Victoria Falls
members are expecting occupancies in 2012 and 2013 to surge, and for the
increased interest to result in even further infrastructural developments.

Desert Safari Dubai is really easy weekend trips from Dubai. In Musandam, we stayed at the Golden Tulip hotel which was quite nice with decent food and an awesome view. In Dibba, we have stayed at most of the big chains and all were nice. You should enjoy both sites. Have fun.

Victoria fall is amazing place with great scenario where everyone want to visit.I have also so many interests to go for a long tour with mt family so please give me the details on that. If you want to know the Victoria falls safari lodge with package details then just go through that.

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About

GoToVictoriaFalls is a destination marketing association owned by the people of Victoria Falls who are committed to making this beautiful town a tourism hub for the region.
Working together the members provide everything from flights, transfers, car hire, ground handling and conferencing facilities to the provision of a wide range of accommodation and activities. The GoToVictoriaFalls association is focused on making Victoria Falls travel safe, easy and an incredible experience.